442sunbeam

hey olds guys i am trying to find out if there is a way to check the tags on a 70 442 w-30 to see if its a real w-30 car. i know 3448 is a 442. it does not have the correct motor. so is there any way to check the vin tags for the w-30 he claims it is/was. Thanks

scrappie

I believe all w-30 cars were built in Lansing M, therefore there should be an M in the VIN. You stated it started with 3448, it should continue with 70M, after the M is the sequence in which it was built which bears no evidence or authentication. So it should be: 344870M------. That does not mean it is a w-30 because it could be a 442 (non w-30) built in MI.
Is the car auto or std? If 4-spd. there should be no power brakes or AC. (noteower brake booster could have been added)
Motor: Should have F heads with aluminum intake manifold and carb should be a 7040258 (auto) 7040256 (4spd.)
Distributor: Should be 1111979 (auto) 1111977 (4spd.)
Transmission: Auto trans TH400 should have a tag on side OW
4spd. should be a Muncie
Red inner fender wells and ram air hood (obvious but could be added)
Rear end: A w-30 car had a code TM or TO or the W-27 (aluminum carrier) had codes SV, SX or SZ. Whichever you have it must have the heavy duty rear suspension which has boxed lower control arms and upper control arm supports.
There should be a sticker in the engine compartment on top of the radiator cover that has w-30 info.
There may be something on the firewall also but I am not sure.
I got this info from various pieces of literature and people on boards like this along with personal aquaintences.
If I am wrong with any of this stuff hopefully someone will correct me but I hope this helps.
Solid paperwork and documentation seems to be what seals the deal.

442sunbeam

Hi Scrappie - Thanks for the info. still not so. as I stated no moter or trans, but it was an automatic. Red inners or gone. it dosent have any, so that might mean some thing. it does have a factory steel frame glass hood. but cant tell if its orginal to the car. I will check to see if its a M code car if its not that will at least tell me some thing. as for the rear end it is posi with boxed arms ( not w-27) but would 442 came with boxed arms? and is the TM or TO only w-30 if so were is this code ( on the posi tag?) Thanks for your reply.

scrappie

I believe the boxed rear control arms came standard on the 70 442. According to the book I have it says that TM (3.42) and TO (3.91) are w-30 rear ends. This code is a stamped pair about 1/4 " in hgt. located on the passenger side axle tube. It is usually very hard to find unless you have a rust free original rear. Any surface rust or grime has to be wire brushed off to expose the small stamp. Sometimes people sandblast with a coarse grit and erase the code altogether. I have found them in the past but they can be located on top, sides or bottom of tube. Good Luck.

joe_padavano

As others have noted, there's no way to prove a 1970 is a W-30 without the build sheet. The VIN only indicates that the car is a 442. The boxed lower arms were used on all 442s (and any Cutlass with the FE2 suspension option). Lacking a build sheet (and most Lansing-built cars did not get build sheets left in them, apparently), if the car is an automatic and the trans is in place, a numbers-matching VIN derivative on an OW TH400 is the best proof. Unfortunately, repro OW tags are available now, and VIN derivatives can be restamped, particularly if there are big dollars involved. Lacking the engine, trans, inner fenders, etc, or any documentation, this is just a 442 shell and should be priced accordingly.

442sunbeam

Thanks for all your inputs I learned alot about W-30s. Joe's last words says it all Priced accordingly. Thanks 442sunbeam, 1970 442 men drool over it. - 1964 Sunbeam women want a ride in it.

nitwit

I found one that meets all the criteria mentioned so far, but it is an automatic on the tree. I have never seen one with this. Any significance?

joe_padavano

The only significance is that whoever ordered that car new was too cheap to pay the extra cost for the console and floor shifter (RPO D55). The base transmission with the W-30 was a four speed. When you ordered the automatic, it came with a column shifter (even with bucket seats). You had to pay extra for the floor shifter and console on top of the cost of the AT. This is one of those cases where the fact that the option combination is rare does not make it valuable. Some things are rare just because they were unpopular.

Oh, and welcome. Nice work dredging up a thread that's been dead for a decade.

nitwit

Joe, thanks for getting all this valuable information back to me so quickly Also, thanks for having me!!

A friend of mine is looking for a '70 W-30 to restore, and this one is sitting in a front yard right here in town.

Thanks again for your time Joe!

Matt